Kaiser vs UC riverside

[newaccount4decisionss]

Hi, first time posting here. I am grateful for this successful application cycle and I've narrowed down my choices to Kaiser and UC Riverside.
I was also accepted at 3 DO schools! Please help me decide. I am interested in competitive specialties (ortho or ENT or NSG) in an academic setting.

Kaiser
+ free education= this is a big PLUS for me
+ first graduating class (any other perks other than finance?)
+ close to home (my parents live in Irvine)
+ faculties seem nice
+ love LA
- new school= guinea pig class
- no translational or basic science research- this is a huge turn off for me
- virtual anatomy? I am interested in surgery and would love to have real medical school anatomy experience

UC Riverside
+ slightly more prestigious
+ my siblings live in the area
+ established medical school -it's a UC system- connection with other UC medical schools
+ wonderful faculty
+ chance to do real research in basic and translational
+ have two mentors in the school of medicine whom I can research with
+ academia (I want to end up in UCLA/UCSF academic residencies for surgical subspecialties)
+ have an undergraduate school around to interact with (mentorship, tutoring, organization involvement)
- I would have to pay 20k/year (still I don't mind graduating with 80k in debt)
- riverside has nothing to do

I am thankful to be in this position and would love your input.

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[Yhwach]

UCR is less prestigious compared to what? Kaiser? They have no reputation yet (in med ed).

For me, I'd lean towards Kaiser

 

[2020NonTrad]

What makes you think there'd be no basic science or translational research at Kaiser? They said we'd be able to do basic science research at CalTech and Kaiser has active translational research. They also have research partnerships with other centers in the area. I'd talk to the Dean of Research and Scholarship at Kaiser, if I were you.

 

[newaccount4decisionss]

Thank you for your input. I'll email the dean.
So far, I couldn't find R01 funded basic science labs (I am interested in mice model) with Kaiser PIs
I wonder if I need to compete with UCLA/USC med students for CalTech summer research opportunities.

 

[9blade]

Kaiser

 

[nymedschoolfan]

Kaiser. UCR is also pretty new and unestablished with less resources than Kaiser. I don't see basic research being a strength of Kaiser because that's not what they're known for at all, ideally you would want to do research at a medical school to make connections but CalTech should be very good in basic science.

 

[newaccount4decisionss]

Thank you, everyone, for their input. It seems like everyone speaks highly of Kaiser. I was just worried that it's a new school with no metrics to measure their reputation.

 

[caterwaiter]

It seems like metrics and reputation matter a lot to you, but I'd also consider gut feeling from interview day. Where do you think you'll be happiest? Where did the people feel the best?